UPDATE 3/23/22

Our entire team is dedicated to mitigating potential issues to minimize adverse effects on your business to the best of our control. Hair Visions has been fulfilling orders at a higher and more consistent rate.

We would like to inform you that just as COVID was in the rear view, countries in Asia are now experiencing a surge of the newest COVID variant, BA.2, which is also being reported in the United States.

As a result, government restrictions in Asia will affect all businesses, including hair factories. We have also been notified of transportation lockdowns and delays from major carriers; UPS and FedEx. This means we should all prepare to see extended interruptions in the supply chain and be transparent with clients. It is unclear to us how long these interruptions may affect us. Let’s remain optimistic that this will be short-termed.

Lastly, Ramadan is observed from April 2 to May 4, 2022. The Indonesian factories usually close seven to ten days. However, the Indonesian government may impose longer shutdowns due to COVID. We will keep you posted as the situation changes.

We thank you for your patience during this time.

Inventory coming in daily!

UPDATE 3/2/22

We’re receiving stock hair shipments regularly.

We’ll notify you by eMail when your backorders are ready to ship. We MUST hear back from you within 48 hours with your confirmation. If we don’t hear from you, we’ll presume you no longer need the products. We’ll then cancel your order and deliver those products to the next client in line.

Check your email for more news from Hair Visions International.

We’ve got you covered!

State of the Industry Update

UPDATE 1/18/22

It goes without saying that 2021 proved to be another difficult year for all of us. Our resiliency was repeatedly tested, but through strength and our respective supporting teams, we prevailed and are better prepared for the challenges facing all of us in the coming year.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share some updates with you as we begin our journey into 2022.

Since the onset of this pandemic, Hair Visions has been providing the safest work environment available for our employees according to all safety guidelines as defined by the CDC. However, even with the best intentions and all the precautionary measures in place, there comes a time when circumstances extend beyond our control, particularly now with the Omicron surge. We have, unfortunately, had several employees become directly affected by COVID. Rest assured, our entire team at Hair Visions remains focused and dedicated to one goal; support you even when we are not at full capacity.

On a positive note, Hair Visions has established relationships with more factories to produce our stock models in helping fulfill backorders and secure future production. There have been some production improvements from a few China factories over the past few months. We are receiving ongoing deliveries of many of Hair Vision’s popular stock models. We continue to fulfill a large backlog of backorders and are now able to deliver specific models on demand. We anticipate the factories will continue to increase capacity in the future months to follow without further shutdowns or labor issues.

With as much confidence as we may have, again, there are some things that extend beyond our control. Production of top-of-head short hair models is more prevalent, unfortunately, there is still a large gap in the production of women’s long hair designs being delivered due to ongoing labor shortages.

Despite the favorable progress so far, we still face challenges as a result of the broken supply chain. It is important to know that the usual knotting centers are still closed. We are optimistic those knotting facilities will start to reopen in April barring any unwelcome surprises.

Our goal at Hair Visions is to ship out as many orders each day to keep the momentum to help you and your clients. Of the many challenges we’re facing right now, one, in particular, is causing a delay in processing which can be alleviated with your assistance. Since we don’t know if your customer still needs their order, our team is reaching out to each of our retailers before shipping products to confirm one way or the other. To expedite our efforts, we ask you to work with us by contacting your business consultant and letting us know in advance whether your order should still be considered active or canceled.

Lastly, we realize pricing over the course of the past two years has been unpredictably on the rise. Although we spend weeks negotiating better pricing to pass along to you, we have limited control over the cost of materials, hair, and labor. We are experiencing similar concerns here in the US. As you already know, practically everything, including the cost of services, has increased dramatically. In continuing to remain transparent, I’m giving you advanced notice that we have been notified of a price increase from one of our factories that will take place during the beginning of the second quarter. We will keep you updated with new pricing once we know more.

As always, we will continue to work tirelessly to earn your business in 2022 and in the future years to come.

Regards,
David

Important News from Indonesia

UPDATE 07/14/2021

In an ongoing effort to remain transparent, I wanted to let you know we received notice from our Indonesian factory which may directly affect you.

Due to the widespread COVID-19 Delta variant, emergency measures (PPKM) are being implemented throughout many areas of Indonesia. All businesses, including hair factories, have been ordered to follow these restrictions. This governmental safety precaution designed to mitigate the spread of the virus has reduced their workforce capacity by roughly half.

As a result of the reduced workforce and the large volume of incoming custom orders we are receiving, their custom-hair production turnaround time will now be delayed an additional six months or more, unfortunately. This is certainly not the news I wanted to deliver but the reality of the worldwide pandemic isn’t over yet and supply chains across all industries are being adversely affected on a global scale.

The factory also informed us that production will improve when their situation has been resolved in due time.

Staying the Course

UPDATE 06/17/2021

With the virus still a very real threat and a number of regions still in lockdown, while others emerge into a very different world, the disruption to supply chains continues to be severe across many industries, including our own. This pandemic outbreak disrupts supply chain activities by making restrictions in air transportation facilities, border closure, unavailability of raw material supply, labor shortages, and entire shutdown of manufacturing activities. What we thought would be a short hiccup has turned in to a longer setback, but we remain optimistic. We know it will improve so we can’t lose hope. The scale of its impact eclipses anything most supply chain leaders have ever seen before.

We are not alone in our challenges.

As some global economies restart, the supply chain will be critical to supplying goods and services quickly, safely, and securely. 94% of Fortune 1000 companies are seeing supply chain disruptions from COVID-19. 75% of companies have had negative or strongly negative impacts on their businesses. 55% of companies plan to downgrade their growth outlooks (or have already done so).

On a more personal level as evidenced in our daily lives, you may have noticed that Starbucks is being hobbled by a shortage of products. If you’ve been in the market for a used car, you would have experienced prices have increased by 30%, fuel is up 56% compared to this time last year, clothing and food are on the rise, and of course, we don’t need reminding of our own challenges within the hair industry.

Splintered supply lines and “just in time inventory”, which Hair Visions has always prided itself on, has obviously declined. Despite the obstacles, Hair Visions is navigating the financial and operational challenges of coronavirus while simultaneously addressing the needs of our customers, staff, and suppliers.

We are in the long fight with you and have maintained a level of transparency to assure confidence in our commitment. The effects of coronavirus are well beyond our control but please realize it is important to maintain stable relationships and we should all try to exercise more patience. Rest assured, we have been preparing for the industry upturn to reinstate your confidence in Hair Visions International.

Indo Factory Updates

UPDATE 05/03/2021

The Indonesian factory will be closed between May 12 – 18 in observance of Ramadan. Due to the surge of COVID-19, the Indonesian government has also imposed stringent
transportation restrictions beginning May 6 in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus.

Hair Visions International has been informed that the Indonesian authorities will not clear shipments (inbound or outbound) to or from the factory from May 6 through May 25.

Note: China factories are not impacted and will continue delivering as usual.

Good News

UPDATE 04/26/2021

We’re excited to share positive news with you.

In response to our efforts with the factories, we are beginning to see a noticeable increase in stock hair deliveries. We anticipate this will increase and continue over time.

We are working diligently to streamline our backorder process to eliminate any delays. Our absolute highest priority is to get your client’s hair into your hands. In order to accomplish this goal, we need your help.

This week, Hair Visions client service representatives will begin emailing your backorder report to you.

We’re asking you to please review the report and identify which orders you no longer require for your clients. This will assist us in expediting your backorders once they arrive. You can reply to the email with your list or call us directly at 800-327-5555 [press 9].

In order to satisfy as many orders as we can for all our clients, we ask for your reply as soon as you are able. This will eliminate the need for further communication delays and allow us to ship your hair immediately upon arrival.

A Candid Look into the Future

UPDATE 02/23/21

As we embark on a new year with its own set of exciting opportunities and challenges, we have to come to the realization that much of what undermined us in 2020 followed us into 2021.

Sadly, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic that has and continues to cause major disruptions to supply chains in many industries beyond our control. The hair industry is just as vulnerable to the adverse effects of the pandemic and labor shortage.

On a positive note, our Indonesian factory continues to press forward with incremental progress in stock and custom production. The factory expects to increase production every month as they hire and train more workers. We are and will continue to pursue every available avenue to locate and acquire suitable stock units for your client’s immediate needs.

As much as I would like to have more good news to deliver, unfortunately, there has been very little improvement with production in the Chinese factories as the remote knotting areas are still in lockdown. Hair Visions and its team understands entirely situations for all businesses and families are difficult during these trying times. Like you, our company struggles to work around the many challenges that face us because they are beyond our control. Despite all the obstacles ahead of us, we all must concentrate on how to endure and focus on what we can control.

Please understand, the cost of labor and materials is not in the control of any distributor. Price increases have already been announced by many distributors to their retailers as we’ve stated before, Hair Visions has been absorbing many costs on your behalf, but we can no longer continue to absorb the factory increases. As you know, we recently announced a price increase from the Indonesian factory. Regrettably, the price increase will also include China factory production due to the price increase notification we just received. Contrary to what you might think, rest assured, we are not increasing our prices for the sake of profits. We are passing along factory increases out of fiscal necessity. We will continue pursuing other factories to prototype stock models in an effort to increase our inventory. However, this has been a complex and lengthy process.

For the sake of transparency, we suggest being proactive with your team and clients alike. Ongoing communication and education with your staff and your clients are vital. Offering facts in an open dialogue regarding the delays and price increases can help ease future misunderstandings and prevent further frustration. We will continue to keep you posted with updates as we learn more. I would also like to remind you that the China factories will be closed to celebrate their Lunar New Year between February 8-18 and we will not receive deliveries from China during this time.

I would like to thank you for your patience during these unprecedented times. Hair Visions understands these temporary challenges are difficult for everyone and looks forward to better times.

A message from Hair Visions International

UPDATE 10/09/20

We would like to take this opportunity to update you with our current position and plans in our efforts to help you navigate through this current global situation.

Status: The hair industry continues to deal with the significant impact of the pandemic, its effect on our businesses and our lives. Many businesses, including hair retailers, are struggling to endure. The fact is most of the Chinese factories are still only working at less than half capacity. This continues to put a massive strain on manufacturing causing a reduction of stock hair with significant delays in custom orders. We are working to minimize the effect of this crisis by diligently pursuing alternative manufacturing opportunities to produce our stock hair.

To meet our clients’ product demands,  we have instructed our factories to temporarily focus on producing only our more popular stock models and color combinations. This will alleviate much of the burden placed on the factories from producing less popular models. It is an unfortunate fact that production delays have placed a strain on Hair Visions, on you, and on the industry.

The pandemic has had a severe effect on the skilled knotters who have either decided to seek employment in other industries or have held out for higher pay. Labor costs have skyrocketed as a result in the last few months, even as production has slowed. Ventilators/knotters are being attracted to other industries with offers of higher pay. Factories have had to meet or exceed those offers to retain their labor force. It is not unreasonable for retailers and consumers to expect an increase in the cost of hair.

As a temporary measure, you may wish to change some of your clients into a model with a longer-lasting base.

Recommendations: After talking with many customers, we’re suggesting the best course of action would be to prepare your clients and consider adjusting your annual hair programs to account for this inevitable increase. As a temporary measure, you may wish to change some of your clients into a model with a longer-lasting base. At the same time, please understand that it is faster for the manufacturer to make skin units that have V-looped ventilation. Complicated base designs with special knotting will take longer to produce. We also recommend using 100% Remy hair as a replacement for European hair.

Hair extension and wig manufacturing have more capacity, so as an alternative, we would suggest considering synthetic mono top wigs or synthetic wigs as a stop-gap measure in the meantime. We must all be creative and flexible in our thinking to get us through these challenging circumstances. Managing our expectations is no longer an option, it is a necessity.

Outlook: Rest assured, Hair Visions International has been looking not only at short-term solutions, but important long-term solutions as well. We will continue to take on these challenges and utilize our vast resources to support you, our valuable customers, just as we have for the past 45 years. As we continue to navigate this shifting landscape, our commitment to you remains unwavering. We will continue to do whatever we can to support you and your business, share our findings, and help our industry stay relevant and strong.

We have resumed our normal business hours of operation 9:00am – 5:30pm Monday through Friday and have brought back more employees to assist your business needs. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we are doing everything we can within our capacity to best manage the situation and working with the challenges it presents all of us. We are all not in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm.

Stay safe!

A message from Hair Visions International President, David M. Schwartz:

UPDATE 7/6/20

I want to take this opportunity to update you on what’s happening at Hair Visions International and what it means for your product and service supply chain.

You don’t need reminding that the global pandemic has not improved and is adversely affecting all of our businesses, our families, and our way of life. But I want you to know it’s not all bad news — and we at Hair visions International are determined to do the best with the hand that we have been dealt.

Production issues and questions: We have received many questions about production and factories that are explained not only by the effects of the pandemic but also by the cumulative effects of market changes over the past decade. Production at all Asian factories is still at limited capacity. From hair donations to raw material import, labor constraints, limited production capacity, lockdowns, and transportation issues, this has been the biggest challenge the hair industry has ever experienced. Production and deliveries have been delayed or even halted for months. However, once the restrictions are lifted in Asia, production will resume. Hair Visions International and its customers will be the first to benefit from that.

It’s no secret the industry has changed. Factories are no longer operating as they were years ago. Because of the scarcity of qualified and experienced hair ventilators, especially in China, factories adapted to a production model that utilizes a dispersed labor force in offsite locations in order to keep costs down and production maximized. This change is not a result of the pandemic, but of market forces that have been influencing the market for many years.

After the pandemic started in mainland China and later progressed globally, manufacturing came to a complete halt. All Asian hair factories then experienced the same situation resulting in slowdowns and intermittent shutdowns. Factories have since slowly started to reopen, but with limitations due to COVID-19 guidelines, government restrictions, and social distancing.

Outlook: Hair Visions International will continue to take on complex challenges and utilize our vast resources to support you, our valuable customers, just as we have for the past 45 years. As we continue to navigate this seemingly new normal, our commitment to you remains: we will do whatever we can to support your business, share our discoveries, and help our industry stay relevant and strong.

We are fortunate to have such strong relationships with our Asian factories, even while deliveries of stock and custom orders are at a reduced volume. Our stock inventory could get you through many situations with your teams’ creative skills and customization. We are doing our best to both serve you and be transparent with updates. It’s important to know and trust who you purchase your hair from.

We are optimistic that the supply chain will eventually improve. You and Hair Visions will both survive and thrive if we adapt to this temporary period of disruption and are determined to last until it lifts. We ask you to continue to be patient as we are doing everything we can within our capacity to best manage the situation. As we all navigate these challenging times, it is the power of our industry and what we do together that will propel us through this to better times. As a team, we will adapt and be there for you!

UPDATE 5/5/20

Hair Visions International is hard at work and doing all we can to help keep our employees and customers safe. Thankfully, our manufacturers are also taking the necessary precautions to help keep all of us safe! Because this is an evolving situation, we will be sure to keep you updated.

UPDATE 4/24/20

Together we are facing a truly unprecedented event. The global pandemic is affecting all of our businesses, our families,our communities, and our way of life.

During this time, I wanted to reach out and update you on what’s happening here at Hair Visions International and what it means for your product and service supply chain.

Hair Visions is still receiving shipments and continuing to deliver orders albeit at a reduced volume to studios still open and operating. Our large stock inventory is second to none and could get you through many situations. We understand your frustration with the delay in custom orders, however, it is important that we continue to be transparent and provide you with updates. Production at all Asian factories is still at limited capacity because the supply chain has been totally disrupted. From hair donations, lack of raw materials, reduction in workforce, limited production, to transportation issues, this has been the biggest challenge the hair industry has ever experienced. Because of these disruptions, unfortunately, deliveries have been delayed for several weeks. This crisis has no boundaries; it is affecting everyone everywhere.

We are optimistic that the supply chain will eventually improve as time goes on, however, we ask you to please be patient as we are doing everything we can within our capacity to best manage the situation. As we all navigate through these challenging times, I’m reminded of how fortunate we are to be part of this great community that supports each other to accomplish great things regardless of the circumstances. It is the power of our industry and what we do together that will propel us through this to better times.

We invite you to visit our Facebook page to view and listen to podcasts that we have posted to share updates, advice and encouragement to the hair industry.

On behalf of your partners here at Hair Visions International, I wish you, your teams, and your loved ones safety and good health. We will still be here for you when you reopen.

Coronavirus and our commitment to you our employees and our community!

UPDATE 4/8/20

At Hair Visions International there’s nothing we care about more than the safety and wellbeing of our employees and our customers. As we are monitoring the ever-changing situation, we’d like to share with you what we are doing as corporate citizens.

Our Commitment to Employees

We are taking every precaution to ensure our employees are capable of safely doing their work either by setting up remote workstations for direct communication with our clients or by following the strictest hygiene standards and effective social distancing for those limited employees working at the office.

Our Commitment to Customers

Hair Visions is in operation. We continue to be available to you for:

  • Hair Visions will continue to keep you informed via e-mail, our website, and our Facebook pages
  • Orders are being fulfilled as safely and quickly as possible
  • Uninterrupted shipping
  • Answers to customer service questions and product availability at 800-327-5555 from 10 AM – 5:30 PM EST
  • Educational and marketing materials as needed
  • Online shopping at www.ShopHVI.com
Our Commitment to Community

Like every business, Hair Visions is the sum of our team and our customers. We are honored to be part of your lives, wish you good health, and are there with you as we all prepare for our return to normalcy.

UPDATE 03/25/20:
Hair Visions International continues to follow the safest working practices to ensure the safety of our employees while servicing your business.

 

For a limited time, Hair Visions International is offering a direct drop ship service to your clients.

As we all face uncharted territory, we’ve been thinking about how Hair Visions International could assist you at this time. If you’re one of the studios temporarily closed, you can still offer your clients their products of choice delivered directly to their door.

 

Four Easy Steps:

  • Your clients place their orders with you and you charge them your fees.
  • Place those orders with our staff and provide us with the client’s full name, street address including zip code.
  • Hair Visions will charge you at your current pricing plus shipping and for these orders only, collect payment by credit card.
  • Hair Visions will ship those products to your customer’s doorstep with a packing slip without pricing.

Our goal is to help you maintain your revenue stream and help preserve your clients’ relationships.

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

Be safe and stay healthy.

UPDATE 03/16/20:
We deeply understand the urgency in delivering hair to your clients and ask that you consider every option not to disappoint them. Despite the uncertainty of what each new day will bring, your Hair Visions team wants to remind you that we are here and remain committed to serving your business needs. As the impact of the evolving Coronavirus pandemic is felt throughout our individual communities and the world, we are actively monitoring updates and recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and other Federal, State, and Local authorities.

Hair Visions International holds the safety and well-being of our customers, employees, and their families as priority #1 above all else. In keeping with these fundamental values and practices that our company has operated by for 45 years, we have established business continuity plans which include a remote work policy to support our team, protect each other and minimize risk of exposure. Limited exposure is our best policy.

Factory Update: Although our factories in China are manufacturing, their current capacity has been restricted by the Chinese government. Several factions of the production pipeline are adversely affected by these restrictions. We are receiving stock and custom order deliveries but at a slower pace than normal. Our factories have assured us that their current reduced workforce is healthy and are following the strictest health precautions to ensure the safety of everyone in the delivery chain.

Please understand that custom orders already in production will be delayed by up to several weeks depending on the type of order. We regret that determining an estimated time of delivery is virtually impossible at this point. Please bear in mind, strict US inspections of imports from China could potentially cause further delays. We will continue to do everything we can to keep in close contact with the factories to minimize the delays.

Due to these unpredictable circumstances surrounding this global epidemic, we can offer alternatives to navigate through this global crisis. We recommend that you consider placing orders via our Indonesia factory for some of your custom units that are usually manufactured in China. Additionally, as a reminder, Hair Visions does carry one of the largest stock inventories in the United States which can be customized as another measure to help service your clients.

Please visit back here for updates as they become available.

Thank you for your concern, consideration and continued support during these trying times.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 800-327-5555.